Racing The Past
by Jameson Rook
Summary: "I figured, we shouldn't both have to be alone on Valentine's Day. Besides, I wanted to see you. It's been too long since the last time you dropped by."


_So, I'm feeling a bit romantic, and this little nugget popped into my head. It's going to be an Alexis/Ryan fic, possibly multichapter, depending on the reviews I get. It's post-high school Alexis, which means that Ashley is out of the picture. Which is good. Cause I hate him. *This* much. _

_Disclaimer: Castle and all of its characters belong to ABC and Andrew W. Marlowe. "Your Guardian Angel" belongs to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. _

**When I see your smile, the tears run down my face,**

**I can't replace.**

**And now that I am strong I have figured out**

**How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul,**

**And I know I'll find deep inside me, I can be the one.**

**I will never let you fall, I'll stand up with you forever.**

** I'll be there for you through it all, **

**Even if saving you sends me to Heaven.**

Alexis stared out the window of her apartment aimlessly, watching the swirling snow flakes. She sat on the small cushioned seat in front of the large bay window with her knees curled to her chest. The glass of red wine wine in her hands had been filled more times than she cared to admit to, but she rationalized it with the fact that she was home alone on that night of all nights.

She heaved a melancholy sigh and pulled the fleece throw tighter around her arms, sipping the smooth liquid slowly and allowing the warmth in her stomach to spread to all of her limbs. Valentine's Day had been quite the somber occasion for her the past years. The last boyfriend that she had was Ashley and she'd lost count of the years that had flown by since graduation. She had moved out of the loft, leaving her dad, Kate and their twin boys to their own devices. She still visited them on Fridays for dinner and a movie, but other than work, she spent the better part of her week by herself.

She was startled out of her thoughts by a few sharp knocks on her door. She settled the wine onto her coffee table and crossed to the door quickly, smoothing down her unruly red locks. She took a composing breath and opened the door.

On the other side was the person that she last expected to find smiling back at her. His icy blue eyes locked with hers, and the boyish grin that graced his soft features brought a smile to her own face. He extended the large bunch of roses in his hand to her wordlessly.

"They're beautiful. Thank you." She smirked, taking the flowers from him and smelling them. She stepped to the side and gestured for him to enter. "Please, come on inside. What brings you out here at this time of night?" She asked, shutting the door behind him and pouring him a glass of wine.

"I figured, we shouldn't both have to be alone on Valentine's Day. Besides, I wanted to see you. It's been too long since the last time you dropped by." Ryan smirked, settling onto the couch and watching her sit next to him. Alexis smiled shyly, her thumb running across the rim of her wine glass.

"I know, I've been meaning to come see you guys, I've just...been busy." She whispered, not making eye contact with him. Ryan's scoff forced her to glance up at him. He quirked a brow skeptically at her.

"Busy, huh? Doing what? I know you work a lot, but my number hasn't changed." He chuckled, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face and taking a sip of his wine before setting it on the coffee table. "I missed you, Lex."

"I missed you, too. I haven't really been in much of a mood to see anyone lately, but I have been thinking about you a lot lately. I miss our weekly trips to the coffee shop." A small smile crossed her face as she glanced at him. He nodded, returning her smile warmly.

"So do I. Esposito and your dad don't exactly compare to being able to have coffee with you." He joked. Alexis blushed slightly at the compliment and drained her wine glass, setting it on the coffee table next to his. Across the living room a soft, slow song began eminating from her speakers. She hummed contently as she listened to the first slow notes.

"I love this song." She whispered to no one in particular. When her eyes opened she saw his hand extended to her, and he was standing directly to her left.

"Care to dance, Miss Castle?" He asked, his eyes soft and warm.

"I would love to, Mister Ryan." She teased, standing and moving easily into his open embrace. Her chest was pressed fully against his and she took a moment to revel in the way that they fit together. His left hand closed around her right one, pulling them to rest against his body as her head laid against his chest. She could feel the steady rhythm of his heart beating under her cheek and she let its beat become the lead in their dance. His feet moved gracefully, moving her around the living room floor as if he was born to do it.

**Seasons are changing and waves are crashing,**

**And stars are falling all for us.**

**Days grow longer, and nights grow shorter, I can show you**

**I'll be the one.**

**I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever.**

**I'll be there for you through it all**

**Even if saving you sends me to Heaven.**

"You're good." She murmured into his chest.

"My mother made me take ballroom dancing lessons for my cousin's wedding. I had to dance with the maid of honor. It was disasterous. She stepped on my toes and actually found someone else to dance with halfway through the song. I was mortified." He chuckled into the top of her head, his lips moving tenderly against her hair as she spoke. He inhaled the scent of the cherry shampoo that Kate had gotten her hooked on deeply, the smell of Alexis filling his brain. He felt Alexis lips curling into a smile against his shirt.

"Well, now I don't understand that. Who would give up a chance to dance with the master?" Her gaze shifted to look up at him and she actually laughed out loud when she saw the look of shock on his face.

"Please, tell me that you're kidding. I'm okay, but I don't think I'd ever use the word 'master'." He scoffed, pulling her closer again. "Oh, and don't tell the guys. They'd never let me live the fact that I took dance class down."

"My dad wouldn't make fun of you. He's a phenomenal dancer. When I was a kid he used to put on a slow song and let me stand on his feet while we danced. We'd Waltz and Tango and Foxtrot our way through the entire loft. It's one of my favorite memories of him." She said, not noticing that they had stopped swaying to the music nearly a full minute ago. When she looked back up at Ryan, she found his eyes shinging down at her, full of care and something that resembled what she recalled as love. Her stomach jumped into her throat when he began to give her a sweet, toothy grin. "What?"

"Nothing, I just like hearing stories about you when you were younger. I get to hear them from you so rarely that I have to treasure the ones that I actually get." He teased, earning him a playful poke in the side.

"Yeah, well, you're not exactly Mister Open Book yourself, detective." She quipped back, and immediately regretted the joke when his face fell into a frown.

"I didn't have the greatest childhood. I guess I've spent the better part of my adult years racing the past in a foot race that I am destined to lose." He whispered, moving his hand to rake it through his sandy colored hair. Her hand came up to cup his cheek softly, her fingers caressing the soft skin as she tilted his gaze to look at her again.

"Ryan, I'm sorry, I didn't know." She muttered.

"Come on, you don't have to apologize, Lex. We've all got baggage." He tried to force a smile, working to restore the mood that had been effectively ruined. Alexis shocked him when she leaned up and pressed her soft lips against his, her hands moving to weave into his hair. He groaned softly into their kiss, pulling her hips to his as his tongue swirled over her bottom lip until she opened up to him, his tongue sliding softly against hers, making her toes curl into the plush carpet. When they pulled apart, she touched her forehead to his.

"Have I mentioned that I really, _really_ missed you?" She breathed, her fingers still tangled in his hair. His chest was heaving underneath her fingers as he nodded slowly.

"Yeah, you maybe mentioned it earlier, but I'm not sure." His voice was low and raspy as he spoke, leaning in to melt his lips to hers again heatedly. She moaned against his lips and leaned further into him, her fingers sliding under his shirt and feeling his warm skin on her fingertips. She made quick work of his buttons and tossed his shirt to the floor. She leaned back to survey his bare chest hungrily, her lips attacking the flesh, followed by teeth and tongue. Ryan's breathing stuttered when she nipped the skin lightly. "Are-are you sure, Lex?" He managed to ask.

"Yes, I'm sure. Kevin, I've wanted this since the day that I met you." She chuckled against the skin next to his belly button.

"Really?" He asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. Alexis stood to face him again.

"Yeah. You didn't know that?" She quirked a brow curiously.

"I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was quiet, but amused.

"I was sixteen years old, you were engaged. Then I was with Ashley. When he left, everything just fell apart from there. Which is why I stopped coming to the precinct. It was too hard to pretend I was happy that you were so happy with Jenny. I really wanted you to be happy with me." She replied, suddenly shy under his schrutizing gaze. His blue eyes were ablaze as they roamed over her, his fingers toying with the skin that was bared by her shirt raising up. He pulled her back to him, their hips flush against one another so that she could feel how interested in their current situation he was. He nipped her lower lip playfully before engaging her in another scorching kiss.

"I've wanted you since then, too, Alexis." He murmured against her lips. "But you were always off limits to me then." He chuckled when she whimpered and her hips bucked against his.

"R-really?" She stammered, grinding her hips against his once again. He groaned low in his throat.

"Really." He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "So? What do you say we take care of this," He hoisted her so that her legs wrapped around his waist anfd began walking them towards her bedroom. "Burning sexual tension?"

"Take me to bed, Mister Ryan." She replied with a devilish grin. A girlish squeal tore from her throat when Ryan trotted towards the bedroom and slammed the door behind him. She wasn't sure exactly how it was going to play out, but Alexis Castle knew one thing.

She was going to help Kevin Ryan stop racing the past, and help him start looking for the future.

**Cause you're my, you're my, my**

**My true love, my whole heart,**

**Please don't throw that away, Cause I'm here for you,**

**Please don't walk away, and please tell me you'll stay.**

**Use me as you will, pull my strings just for a thrill,**

**And I know I'll be okay, though my skies are turning gray.**

**I will never let you fall, I'll stand up with you forever.**

**I'll be there for you through it all,**

**Even if saving you sends me to Heaven.**

_**So? Love it? Hate it? Leave me a review. Much love, J.R.**_


End file.
